Retractable safety pin



g- 19750 J. CONWAY 2,518,977

RETRACTABLE SAFETY PIN Filed June 1a, 1948 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. I z/a-mes L.Cowwqy 1 E I BY I ATTORNEYS Aug. 15, 1950 .1. CONWAY 2,518, 77

RETRACTABLE SAFETY PIN 2: Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledzJflne 18, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

z/czrhes A. Coma q A 7-7-0905 Vs Patented Aug. 15, 1950 UNITED S TAT ES PATENT O FFICE RETRACTABLE iSAFETY PIN James L. Conway, Los Angeles, Calif. (Applicationilune 18, 1948, Serial No. 33,810

1 GIaim. 1

This invention relates to safety pins, and par-. fticularly to a type of safety pins'tructure in which the .pin is releasablefrom operative position to an innocuous inactive position,

The main object of m invention is 'to provide a retractible and projectible device serving as a .safety pin which when released andidle automatireally withdraws to a protected position in which ,thedevice is incapable of doing harm .by pricking, scratching or irritating the skin,

Another object .is to provide a device of the indicated character ihaving resilient means causing the automatic operation of the device when released or un ias'tened. I

A further object is to have such a device which is certain to operate, does not bunch the cloth fastened thereby, presents a neat appearance and prevents tearing corioosening .of the cloth ,fas'tened thereby.

Yet another object is ,tohave a device of this type which can be quicklymounted position, or even released in theidark by feel only, without danger of pricking the'body or the fingers, and requires little strength to manipulate'it and'but a simple operation to fasten or release "it. v

It is also an object to .have such a device "which may be cheaply manufactured, maybe' made in a variety of forms, may be sprayed withplastic or latex and the like, and even 'ina very smallsize has the .fas'tening capacity of a standard safety pin.

Itis withal ,an object to produce a device'oi this class which .is ,proof against accidental .iloss or unfastening from the textile to which it is .attached, and requires application .of pressure from bothsides to uniasten it, and yet which is harmless .when unfastenedand will do noharm even if swallowed byta child.

Other objects .and advantages ofmy invention will appear in .further detail .as the specification proceeds.

In .order to facilitate ready comprehension .of this invention for ,a proper appreciation of'ithe salient features thereof, the invention illustrated .on the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

.Figure 1 is a side elevation ofa safety pin structure made according to the invention and embodying the .samein a practical .form;

"FigureZ'isa plan view of the safety pin device or asseniblyas .seenffrom the 'toptinFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom 'plan'view of the same safety pin structure of'Figure 1;

Figure 4 is La .vertical section'through the pin assembly o'i'Figure 11, as taken onfline "4- 1;

Figureli is a vertical section of the upper pin '2 and button member when the pin is released from the lower receiving button portion of the as- .sembly;

showing the sameapplied 11, athicksection oitextile material;

Figure v8 shows the same safety pin assembly when applied to a thin piece of cloth or textile;

Figure 9 is a plan view of the safety pm assembly or structure of .Figures 7 and 8;

Figure 10 is a verticalsectionof the safety .pin

assembly of Figure 9 as takenonline llll0 Figure 11 is a similar vertical section of the assembly or device of Figure "1.,sh0wingadifferent relation of the parts due to the application of the device to the heavy sheet or thickness of textile material;

Figure 12 is aside elevation with parts in section of the lower button and pin portion .of the .device illustrated inFigures 7,, 8, l0 and 11, showingespecially how thepin is withdrawnin released projected position;

Figure 13 is a horizontal section taken on line ,l3- l3 in ,Figure 10 Figure 1.4 is a plan view of a, ring-shaped sheet metal springof Figures 10, 11 and 13;

.Figure .15 is a plan view of the springvand pin of Figure 12;

Figure 16 is a vertical section of a modification of :the button and ,pin sections .of the invention as modified Lover Figures 5 and 12.

Throughoutthe views, the same reference .numerals indicate the same or like parts.

:Common safety ,pins have, of course, been well known for a long time and are in general use everywhere, despite certain drawbacksand defects inherent .in their iorm. For example, ordinary safety pins bunch up the clothiastened thereby, all too :readily tear the clothes, :allow cloth ostensibly fastened thereby to slip, and are rather easilyopened accidentalyito becomean immediate menace :to every one nearby. Pricks and scratches caused by safety pins are too common to mention and frequently have resulted in serious injury and even fatalities.

Upon considering the problem-with the foregoing objects in mind, and with a view to avoiding the -mentioned disadvantages, I have designed a special safety pinassembly ordevice having certain characteristic advantagesgas will now be set forth in detail.

7 Hence, in the practice of my invention, and

referring again to the drawings, the safety pin assembly or device, generally indicated at H, primarily includes an upper button [8 having a recessed bottom [9 bounded by a peripheral flange or Wall 20 providing the upper space 2! in which is located a spiral spring 22 having the outer end 23 thereof bent outwardly and fixed in the marginal bounding Wall or flange 28 to prevent rotation or displacement of the spring, while the inner end 24 is bent down, to terminate in a pin 26 which extends downwardly and has its point of alignment with the aperture 25 in the bottom [9.

When the member just described, which may be termed button member I8, is placed in position upon a piece of cloth or textile material 21, and the finger applied to the inner portion 24 of the spring 22 and pressed down sufficiently to cause pin 26 to penetrate the cloth, this spring 22 will be pressed down from the position and form whichit occupies, as shown in Figure 5, to

that particularly shown in Figures 2 and 4, in

which the spring lies flat upon the bottom I9 and protrudes through the cloth upon the lower surface thereof. In order to cooperate with the 'pin', a lower receiving'button 28 is placed in position having a crossed leaf spring 29 attached thereto by being partly embedded in the lower surface thereof or being riveted or otherwise fastened thereto, with the two arms 30 and 3| tapered toward their extremities and bent in such fashion as to cross at an intermediate point and with their inner sides engage the pin 25 in such fashion as to bind therewith to prevent removal of the pin from the lower button 28. In order to effect this result, the two resilient arms 30 and 3| f the spring 29 have a pair of opposite semi-circular notches 32, 33 best shown in Figure 6, while a central aperture 34'extends through spring 29 and the lower receiving button 28 to allow'the pin 26 to extend therethrough. The

arrangement is such that, when the pin is forced down through the receiving button 28 and through aperture 34 and in contact with the notches 32 'ends 30 and 3| of spring 28 are released by the fingers, these members will turn to spring outwardly away from button 28, as best shown" in Figure 1, withthe result that the notches tend to be drawn sidewise out of registry with each other and with the aperture 28 and will therefore exert binding pressure upon the pin and prevent loss thereof, or disengagement from spring 28. As also readily seen in Figures 1 and 4, for example, the point of pin 26, when properly fastened in the textile material2l, extends no further down therethrough than the extremities of the. spring arms 30 and 3!, so that the latter tend to protect the pin and prevent the same from scratching or cutting the fingers or any part Of the body or any other piece of cloth that may come against theinside of,the assembly.

.When it is desired to release the pin device already described, depression of spring arms or ends 30 and 3| by the fingers toward the lower receiving button 28 will cause the nothhes 32 and 3 3 to release the pin 26 and allow the same to be'freely withdrawn therefrom by withdrawing the upper pin button l8 from the textile material or cloth 27, whereupon spring 22, when released,

will immediatelyresume its original erect con- 4 ical form, as indicated in Figure 5, wherein the pointed extremity of pin 26 is fully withdrawn within the outline of the lower part or bottom IQ of button l8, and is therefore in no position to cause scratching or cutting of the hands or any part of the body with which button I8 may come into contact. Due to the attachment of the outer bent extremity 23 of spring 22 in the peripheral wall 20, and also the location Of the lower end of pin 26 in the aperture 25 of button I8, the

spring is retained in place with relation to this button and will be prevented from being dissociated therefrom. Both buttons 18 and 28 may be made of plastic or metal or any other material that will serve the purpose.

A modification of the pin assembly is shown in Figure 7, wherein the device is first of all inverted so that the lowe button 35 contains the pin, while the upper button 38 upon the other side of a thick piece of textile material 31 forms the receiving button. Noting Figure 11, together with Figure 7, inasmuch as both include the thick textile material 31, and then transferring the attention to Figures 8 and 9, wherein the textile material 38 is relatively thin, as also shown in section in Figure 10, it will be seen that the button members are in each case identical except for the thickness of the textile material fastened between the button members and impaled by the pin connecting the two.

In this form of the invention, the lower button 35 primarily includes an inner flat'wall 39 to which a vertical bounding wall 40 is integrally attached so as to provide a chamber 4| within the same. Within the bounding wall 48 is located a movable pin plate or button 42 also having a bounding wall 43 upon the upper portion of which is located an inwardly-directed'fiange 44 serving as a means for retaining at least a portion of the outer coil of a spring 45 terminating at the outer end in "an inwardly and radially-directed straight arm 46 which is abruptly bent upwardly to form the pin 41. The inner raised coil 48 terminates in an inwardly-bent extremity 49 engaging in a side aperture 50 in a downwardly-projecting central hub 5|. which is integral with the upper wall 39 of the lower pin button 35. The mentioned hub also forms a guide for the pin 4'! by having an aperture 52 extending therethrough, while the outer coil 45 and the upper end 49 of the spring serve to hold the two members 42 and 35 in assembled relation. When the button member 35 is released by having the pin free from the textile material, the spring 45 will expand into the position shown in Figure 12, wherein the pin 41 is withdrawn into the outline of the flat intermediate wall 39 of the button member 35, obviously, in a position where the point of the pin will not in any way cause scratching or damaging of the textiles or harm to the hands in handling the button.

In order to cooperate with the mentioned lower button and the pin 41, the upper receiving button 35 comprises a bounding wall 53 with an upper retaining flange 54 directed inwardly, as best seen in Figures 10 and I1, and the continuous disc-shaped bottom 55 to which .the bounding wall 53 is integrally connected. Upon the bottom 55, just described, rest a ring-shaped sheet metal spring 56 having a plurality of inwardlydirected radial arms 51, 51, etc., terminating in raised inner ends 58, 58 having notches 59, 59, etc., adapted to engage with the sides of the pin 41, the central portion of the bottom 55 being raised at 60 and perforated to allow passage of against? thenpln,gtherethrough and. through the inner raised notched ends 158,-, 58ofarms 57, 51 of ringshaped spring 56. Upon the ring-shaped'spring Streets. in iturnian. "anchoring ring Bl having an inner lower annular recess 62 in which a portion of the spring 53 is located to retain the same in position atthe bottom of the circular aperture 54 in ring 6 I, while slidably fitting intq the aperture 64 is .a disc 55 intended to protect the pin 41 so as to prevent the same from injuring garmerits or the hands when handling the button assembly or installing it when the textile is a rather thinmaterial. The upper end of the spring 53, which is preferably aspiral coil spring,

' button 35 is first set into position and pressure applied by the finger beneath the lower button member 42, the pin ll will be projected upwardly through aperture 52 in the other button member 35 into and through the textile 37 or 38, as the case may be, and the upper button member 36 then being placed in position to match the end of pin 41, the latter is thrust up through the bottom 55, and notches 59 of spring 55 up against protecting disc 65. By the point of pin 41 engaging against the protecting disc 55, the latter pushes up the spring 63 into expanded condition, as particularly noted in Figure 19, this spring 63 having the opposite tendency to that of the first-mentioned spring it, in that it tends to pull the disc 65 down into aperture 54 of ring iii in the upper button member 35 and requires the upper end of the pin ll to raise it from aperture 6 5. Theposition of the disc is therefore determined by the thickness of the textile material disposed between the two button members 35 and 35 and impaled upon pin Al, for when the textile material 3'l, being rather of thick structure, is disposed between the button members, as particularly shown in Figures 7 and 11, the pin 41 extends but a short distance into the upper button 35. This is due to the fact that a portion of the length of the pin is occupied by the thickness of the textile material. When the latter is thin, as in 38 of Figures 8 and 10, the pin obviously extends further up through the upper button 35 and therefore projects the disc above the upper flange 54 thereof so as to elevate it above the surface, as particularly shown in Figures 8 and 10, already mentioned, but in every case the protecting disc 55 prevents contact of the clothing with the point of the pin and therefore prevents the same from scratching or damaging either the clothing or the hands of i the user. Due to the upwardly-bent condition of the inner ends 53 of the ring-shaped spring 56, the recesses or notches 59 engage with the sides of the pin in such fashion that it is not readily detached from the upper button when once the pin has been passed up through the same and is therefore substantially proof against accidental displacement from the garment or cloth to which the pin assembly has been attached. It is evident from Figures '7 to 11 that instead of having a single thin textile, as shown at 38, several sheets or thicknesses may be used, or a single thick section of textile, as at 51, may be impaled upon the pin between the button members, and in every case the button members themselves will retain the textiles in flat condition and exert sufficient friction upon the same to prevent tearing by the pin,

. types.

A further-general modification of the button member which is provided with a pin is shown in Figure. 16, wherein the button 67 is substantially flat and has a'bounding wall 58 and cen- 'trallyan aperture 65 for the pin it, 'thelatter .having a substantially oval head ll supported-by a compressibly-resilient body '3'? of sponge rubber or other resilient material normally holding the point of the pin within-the outline of the bottom of the button 51, and preventing contact of the point with the skin or .withany of the clothing of the user. With this pin button may be used either the receiving button 28 of Figures 3 and 6,, or the receiving button 36 of Figures '7 through v'lj-l, or .somefother type of receiving button, as may be desired. The mentioned button Bl, last described, isreadily operated by merely pressing with thefinger .upon thehead Til wfhichwill cause the same to compress the resilient body '12 and project the pin it through aperture es through the textile and into whatever receiving button may be disposed on the opposite side of the textile thus impaled.

In the various forms of the invention, it is to be noted that in each cas the button provided with the pin has facilities for withdrawing this pin into an innocuous or harmless position, so that it is protected and will therefore not damage either the hands of the user or any textile materials or the clothes, and yet be in a condition for projecting the pin through the textile materials to be secured together or to which the pin is to be attached and into a receiving button in order to fix the pin in place, the principles of the various forms being therefore substantially the same. It is obvious that springs may be substituted by other materials, as for example in Figure 16, by resilient materials of various It is also equally true that the buttons may take various forms in order to be attractive in appearance and carry out diilerent de signs and also be made of different materials, either metal or plastics or the like, and hence, I do not desire to be limited to the actual details of the foregoing description or those specifically shown on the accompanying drawings, but prefer to use resilient means of any description for propelling the pin through the textile material, or any means which will serve the purpose for making the button carrying the pin as well as the receiving button and the facilities on the latter for engaging with the pin.

When the safety pin assembly in any one of its forms is used upon a garment, the button having the pin is inserted beneath or within the garment with the pin projecting outwards away from the body, and the receiving button is then applied upon the outside of the garment.

Manifestly, other variations may be resorted to as well as different modifications than those enumerated, and parts and features may be used without others or be replaced by others within the scope of the appended claim.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

A retractible safety pin assembly adapted to be attached to a textile material comprising a hollow cylindrical housing having a closed upper end and an open lower end, there being an aperture in said closed upper end, said housing positioned axially thereof, a button member positioned adjacent the open end of said housing and mounted for movement into and out of the latter, a pin projecting from said button member arranged. in aligned relation with the aperture of to said button member, resilient means interposed between the closed upper end of said housing and said button member and operatively connected thereto for biasing the pin of said button member away from said housing, a second button arranged in superimposed spaced relation with said housing, said second-named button having a hollow cylindrical wall and a closed lower end, there bein an aperture in said closed lower end in alignedrelation with the aperture of said housing for receiving the other end of said pin upon movement of said first named button member toward said housing, a disc positioned in superimposed relation with respect to said second-named button for engaging the other end of said pin, resilient means disposed within said second button and operatively connected to said disc and the hollow wall of the said second button for biasing the said disc away from said second button, and a resilient gripping ineiii ber supported within said second button for detachably engaging said other end of said pin.

JAMES L. CONWAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,412,480 Mendler Apr. 11, 1922 2,192,643 Kennedy Mar. 5, 1940 2,308,412 Ballou et a1. Jan. 12, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,622 Sweden Nov. 11, 1893 48,100 Denmark Dec. 4, 1933 603,905 Germany Oct. 10, 1934 

